Olana Partnership gets $843,000 in grants

HUDSON, N.Y. -- The historic home of Hudson River School painter Frederic Church will have its landscapes and views enhanced and restored thanks to two grants totaling $843,000.

In a press release, the Olana Partnership announced it had received a $343,000 matching grant from the state Regional Economic Development Council "to improve the final arrival experience designed by Frederic Church for visitors to Olana." The grant focuses specifically on the landscape immediately surrounding the main house, which is known as the "house environs," the release said. This includes the Visitor Center, Coachman's House, circular carriage road, and the lands and southern views toward the Hudson River, the release said.

Mark Prezorski, landscape curator for the Olana Partnership, said that area at the historic site should have native trees and shrubs planted and there are other areas where the view needs to be opened up. He said there is a terraced lawn, for example, that needs to be restored.

"It will be a highly visible restoration project," Prezorski said Monday. He said a date has not been set for when the work will actually begin, but planning is under way.

Advertisement

The Olana Partnership must raise $114,000 in private donations to match the state grant, the release said.

Church designed Olana, his family home, studio and estate as an integrated environment embracing architecture, art, landscape and conservation ideals, according to the release.

By awarding this grant, the state is showing that Olana and its historic landscape are poised to grow as a regional economic engine and major cultural destination, the release said. The release said Olana currently generates $7.9 million and 267 jobs annually for the regional economy.

In addition to the state grant, the Olana Partnership received a $500,000 grant at the end of 2012 from the Walton Family Foundation, the release said. The release said the grant will support the Olana Partnership in its ongoing efforts to protect and interpret the viewshed from the historic site. The grant will be spread out over 10 years.

"Olana is much more than a house," Prezorski said.

The Olana Partnership works with the state to support the restoration, development and improvement of the 250-acre Olana State Historic Site.